Fluorescent lighting in a 9 by 20 garage

[paul cottingham]

So I have a small shop, (9x20) and am currently replacing the lights. I have 5 t-8 fixtures, and am wondering if it would be better to run 5 lights crosswise or 2 strips one on each side of 2 and 3. Make sense? anyone ever had to light such a space? I am a hybrid woodworker, migrating more to hand tools, but do my rough pep with power tools.

Thanks again...

[Shawn Russell]

Paul,

How about using six fixtures in two strips. Then put two lights per switch?

My shop dimensions are just about same as yours.. my thought was to have a bench on the left side, table saw in the middle, and jointer/planer on the right. Then I would only turn on 1/more switch based on what my task is in the shop.

Cheers

[Mark Denovich]

For comparison: In my 13 x 22 basement shop, I now have 9, 4-bulb T8 fixtures, in a 3 x 3 grid, evenly spaced. Works out to about 250 footcandles. (lumens per bulb x bulbs per fixture x num fixtures x coefficient of utilization (around .81 for 4-bulb troffer) x light loss factor (.91 for high CRI T8s) / sqft of shop) Around 100 footcandles (or higher) is what you want for fine work.

The layout in the 3x3 grid (with 2'x4' fixtures) works perfect to evenly illuminate the whole shop. I spent the last week or so with much, much less light as I installed a ceiling and reran a lot of wiring. I can tell you that it is a joy to have all my lighting back (and then some... the ceiling is reflecting a bit more now.)

Oh, and they are all on one switch...

[Timothy Wolf]

My shop is almost the same size as yours I currently have only 2 T8 (not nearly enough but I'm budget limited for now) If I had the budget I would take the five fixtures and put them around the perimeter 1 along each wall and one lengthwise in the middle, But I also would consider placing your lighting over your main work areas as a possibility as well. I know it may not be the best advice, because I'm no expert but I'm currently doing the same thing in my new (to me) shop.

[ray hampton]

what will you kick with your foot if the power go off when you are away from the door and you try to walk to the door [no pun intend ]

[Dale Cruea]

I have found in my shop that;
1) lights over a bench do not work as well as two lights side by side over the bench with a distance of about the same as your work bench width.
A single light over your bench throws a shadow. Equal light from two directions can reduce this shadow.
2) You can use less lighting fixtures if you have more reflective surfaces. Ceiling and walls that will reflect the light help greatly. Like a gloss paint instead of flat paint. White where you can. Concrete floors do not reflect light well I am told.
3) Keep your surfaces clean of dust.
4) keep the fixtures and bulbs clean.
5) Replace your bulbs every 12 months. Even if they are still working. One guy told me he will replace bulbs in a different fixture every month.
He says this keeps the lighting in his shop at a constant level. Never tried it myself.
About a moth ago there was a thread on shop lighting and one post gave a web site to get software to calculate your lighting needs.
It helped me.

[Jacob Nothstine]

I have about 5 of these cheap lights that I clamp over the machines I'm using. You can fine them at most hardware stores. I have a ladder that I'm storing on the ceiling of my shop that is great for clamping them on. Just have to remember to remove them before raising the garage door.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00076Q0FQ/ref=asc_df_B00076Q0FQ1778513?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B00076Q0FQ

[paul cottingham]

Thank you for all the replies. I am limited where I can place fixtures, as I have a 4" dust collection duct running across my roof. It always seems to be where I need to place something. right now I have 1 over my router table/doorway area, 1 over my joint/tablesaw, 1 sort of over my bandsaw, and 2 over my bench, which also has my mortiser and DP on it. -gulp- they are on 1 circuit right now, but I have not had any problems. any further comments would be most welcome.